Light-stable pesticidal compositions

U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,198 and French Pat. No. 2096962 describe azodyestuff stabilizer for pyrethrinoids different from these of the present application.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,227 which is assigned to the assignee of the present application describes the compounds of formula I and their use as excellent agents for combatting pests such as insects, ticks, acariens, etc. However, it has been found that the said compounds are sensitive to light and may decompose when subjected to sunlight under use conditions.

It is an object of the invention to provide light-stable pesiticdal compositions containing at least one compound of formula I as the active ingredient.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved process for combatting pests.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious from the following detailed description.

The novel light-stable pyrethrinoid compositions of the invention are comprised of (a) at least one liquid vehicle, (b) at least one surface-active agent soluble in the said liquid vehicle, (c) at least one azodyestuff stabilizer selected from the group consisting of a mixture of 1-[{4-(phenylazo) -phenyl)}-azo]-3-naphthalenol and 4-[{4-(phenylazo)-phenyl}azo]-phenol (a component of Scarlet R), 1-[4-(4-phenylazo- phenyl)-azo]-naphthalene (Red organol BS), 1-[{2-methyl -4- (2-Methylphenylazo)-phenyl}-azo]-2-naphthalenol (Red Sudan IV), 1-[(2-methoxyphenol)-azo]-2-naphthaphenol (Vermillion organol); 1-[(1-naphthalenyl)-azo]-2-naphthalenol (Scarlet 2R for fat), 1-(phenylazo)-2-naphthalenol (Sudan I), 1-[(2-hydroxy-4-methyl-phenyl) -azo]-2-naphthalenol (Sudan II), 1-[{dimethyl -4-[(dimethyl)phenyl]-azo}-phenylazo]-2-naphthalenol (Red to fat 5B), N-ethyl-1-[{4-(phenylazo)-phenyl}-azo]-2-naphthalenylamine (Red to fat 7B), 1-[{1-naphthalenyl}-azo]-2,4-benzenediamine (Brown RR to fat), 2-[(2-methoxyphenyl)-azo]-phenol (Red to fat G), disodium 4-hydroxy-3-[(4-sulfo-1-naphthalenyl)-azo]-1-naphthalene sulfonate (azo ruby), 4-[(4-ethoxyphenyl)-azo]-1-naphthalenol (Brown to fat B), 2,4-dihydro-5-methyl-2- phenyl-4-(phenylazo)-3H-pyrazol-3-one (Yellow to fat 3G),N,N-diethyl-4-(phenylazo)-benzeneamine (Yellow to fat GGN), 2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-6-[(4-phenylazo)-1-naphthalenyl]-azo-1H-perimidine (Black to fat HB), N-[4-phenyl)-(4-phenylamino)-1-naphthalenyl]-methylene-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene-N-methyl-methaniminium chloride (Blue to fat B) and 1-/(4(phenylazo) phenyl)azo/ 2-naphtalenol and at least one ester of the formula ##STR5## wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of ##STR6## in its various stereoisomeric forms and mixtures thereof, Z is alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, Y is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, --CN, --NO 3 , alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, n is 0,1,2, or 3, W is selected from the group consisting of ##STR7## X 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine and bromine, X 2 is selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine and bromine, X 3 is selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine, X 4 is a halogen and X 5 is a halogen optionally other than that of X 4 and due to asymetric carbon atom in W, the compounds are in the A isomer or B isomer form or mixtures thereof and R is selected from the group consisting of ##STR8## and benzyl optionally substituted with at least one member of the group consisting of alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkenyl of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, alkenyloxy of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, alkadienyl of 4 to 8 carbon atoms, methylenedioxy, benzyl and halogens, R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl, R 2 is selected from the group consisting of monocyclic aryl and --CH 2 --C.tbd.CH, R 3 is an aliphatic of 2 to 6 carbon atoms having at least one carbon-carbon insaturation, R 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, --CN, CH 3 and --C.tbd.CH, R 5 is selected from the group consisting of chlorine and methyl, n is O, 1 or 2, R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, chlorine and methyl and S/I indicates that the ring may be aromatic, dihydro or tetrahydro the alcoholic moiety R--OH being capable of containing one or more asymetric carbon atoms and of existing in the form of various stereoisomers. The compositions are preferably in the form of an emulsifable concentrate.

Among the preferred light-stable compositions of the invention are those wherein the azodyestuff is a mixture of 1-[{4-(phenylazo)-phenyl}-azo]-3-naphthalenol and 4-[{4-(phenylazo) -phenyl}-azo]-phenol (Scarlet to fat), those wherein the azodyestuff is 1-[{4-(phenylazo)-phenyl}-azo]-2-naphthalenol, those wherein the azodyestuff is N-ethyl-1-[{4-(phenylazo)-phenyl}-azo]-2-naphthalenylamine (or Red to fat 7B) and those wherein the azodyestuff is N,N-diethyl-4-(phenylazo)-benzeneamine (Yellow to fat GGN). Among the preferred light-stable compositions of the invention are compositions containing compounds of formula I wherein R is ##STR9## and especially α-cyano -3-phenoxy-benzyl or α-ethynyl-3-phenoxy-benzyl or 3-phenoxy-benzyl

The most preferred compositions of the invention are those containing as the active ingredient an ester selected from the group consisting of (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2,2-dichloro-1,2-dibromo-ethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, trans) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2,2-dichloro-1,2-dibromo-ethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate and (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(1,2,2,2,-tetrabromo -ethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate.

The compositions preferably contain 5 to 100 g per liter of at least one active compound of formula I and 0.1 to 10 g per liter of at least one azodyestuff stabilizer. The liquid vehicle may be of a wide variety of liquids and a preferred group of liquids are aromatic hydrocarbons such as xylene or toluene.

The surface active agents may also be of a wide variety. Examples of preferred surface active agents are members of the group consisting of polyoxyethylene polymethylsiloxane, polyethylenepolyoxypropylene polymethylsiloxane, monolaurate of sorbitol anhydrous oxyethylene, monooleate of sorbitol anhydrous oxyethylene, tridecylalcohol oxyethylene, nonylphenol oxyethylene, polyglycolic ethers of fatty alcohols, tributylphenylpolyglycolic ethers, calcium salts of alkylsulfonic acids and aryl sulfonic acids, phosphoric esters, alkylamino polycarboxylic acid derivatives, alkali metal salts of polyvalent amines, salts of organic carboxylic acids and organosulfonic acids, lignosulfonates, N-sulfo or N-phosphosuccinates of esters of α-amino acids, sodium alkyl naphthalene sulfonates, condensation products of aminosulfonic acids or aminocarboxylic acids with alkyl haloacetic acids and polyglycerol oleates. The compositions preferably contain 1 to 100 g/liter of surface active agent.

The degree of protection of the pyrethrinoids from light is evidentially not identical with all the surface active agents used in the case that all other factors are the same. It is especially noted that the association of the surface active agent with the azodyestuffs results in good protective results. Especially preferred surface active agents are phosphoric acid esters and polyglycerol oleates.

In a preferred modification of the invention, the compositions also contain a component capable of fixing the mixture of the invention to the vegetable leaves such as ethylcellulose.

The process of the invention for the stabilization of pesticidal compositions comprises incorporating into a mixture of at least one compound formula I in at least one liquid vehicle an effective amount of at least one surface active agent soluble in the liquid vehicle and at least one of the azodyestuffs recited above. Preferably, the compositions contain 5 to 100 g per liter of the pyrethrinoids of formula I and 0.1 to 10 g per liter of the azodyestuff stabilizer.

It is perceived that the emulsifiable concentrates containing the pyrethrinoids as the active ingredient see the latter being degraded by light in such a manner that practical use of these compositions can become impossible. Due to the stabilized compositions of the invention, compositions which are in the form of an emulsifiable concentrate and which contain azedyestuffs, diverse classes of pyrethrinoids enumerated above as formula I have increased stability as demonstrated in the examples infra.

The stabilized compositions of the invention are capable of being used in agriculture, especially in open fields without loss of activity and under the most economical conditions. The same compounds not stabilized with azodyestuffs are usually degraded to a such a large extent by the action of light so that their use is not economical. Due to the intense insecticidal activity of the pyrethrinoids of formula I, the invention assumes a great practical importance.

The method of the invention for combatting pests comprises contacting the pests with a pesticidal amount of a composition of the invention. The usual useful dose as an agricultural insecticide is 1 to 100 g per hectare.

Referring now to the FIGS.:

The figures are graphs of the insecticidal activity of the examples and clearly show the very important stabilization to the light due to the use of the azodyestuffs.

In the following examples there are described several preferred embodiments to illustrate the invention. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments.

A stabilized composition was prepared consisting of 25 g of (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, 70 g of non-ionic monolaurate of anhydrous sorbitol oxyethylene, 23 g of anionic sodium alkylnaphthalene sulfonate, 15 g of ethyl cellulose, 1 g of N,N-diethyl-4-(phenylazo)-benzeneamine (Yellow to fat GGN) and sufficient xylene for a total volume of one liter.

A stabilized composition was prepared consisting of 20 g of (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, trans) 2,2-dimethyl -3-(2,2-dichloro-1,2-dibromoethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, 75 g of oxyethylene nonylphenol, 18 g of anionic lignosulfonate, 8 g of ethylcellulose, 1 g of N-ethyl-1-[{4-(phenylazo)- phenyl}-azo]-2-naphthalenylamine (Red to fat 7B) and sufficient toluene for a final volume of one liter.

To determine the stability as a function of time, emulsifiable concentrates were prepared containing 25 g of the test pyrethrinoid compound, 82 g of a non-ionic oxyethylenated product of a mixture of aliphatic alcohols of 12 to 13 carbon atoms, 18 g of anionic calcium phenylsulfonate, 10 g of ethylcellulose, 1 g of azodyestuff and sufficient xylene for a final volume of one liter. The test compounds of formula I used were (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2-dimethyl -3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-cyclopropane--carboxylate [compound A], (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2,2- dichloro-1,2-dibromoethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate [compound B], (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, trans) 2,2-dimethyl -3-(2,2-dichloro-1,2-dibromoethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate [compound C] and (S)α-cyano-3-phenoxy-benzyl (1R, cis) 2,2- dimethyl-3-(1,2,2,2-tetrabromoethyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate [compound D].

The test procedure involved measuring the kinetics of degradation under an overhead light by placing 200 μl of emulsifiable concentrate containing the active ingredient at a dose of 25 g/l (or 5 mg) in a beaker of 25 ml with a diameter of 30 mm so as to spread the deposit in the form of a ring on the bottom of the beaker. The test thus avoids surface irregularities in irradiation of the different samples. The organic solvent in the formulation was then removed by a current of hot air over about 20 minutes and the resulting beakers were then placed under an overhead light source (one hour of exposition at 150 klux=to 14 hours of average daylight) and held there for the indicated time. After light irradiation, the contents of the beaker were taken up in 1 to 2 ml of methylene chloride and the amount of the pyrethrinoid compounds was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography.

The mixtures of the test compound and azodyestuff used were (1) a mixture of compound A and N-ethyl-1-[{4-phenyl azo)-phenyl}-azo]-2-naphthalenylamine (Red to fat 7B), (2) a mixture of compound A and N,N-diethyl-4-(phenylazo)-benzeneamine (Yellow to fat GGN), (3) a mixture of compound B and red to fat 7B, (4) a mixture of compound B and Yellow to fat GGN, (5) a mixture of compound B and Ruby R (mixture of 1-[{-4- (phenylazo)-phenyl}-azo]-3-naphthalenol and 4-[{-4-(phenylazo)- phenyl}-azo-phenol, (6) a mixture of compound C and red to fat 7B, (7) a mixture of compound C and red to fat GGN, (8) a mixture of compound C and Scarlet R, (9) a mixture of compound D and liquid red to fat 7B (a 65% solution of red to fat 7B in an aromatic solvent), (10) a mixture of compound D and blue to fat B or N-[4-(phenyl-{4-phenylamino}-1-naphthalenyl)- methylene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene-N-methyl-methaniminium chloride, (11) a mixture of compound D and liquid yellow to fat G (a liquid dye who structure is not indicated in Color Index), (12) a mixture of compound D and yellow to fat GGN, (13) a mixture of compound D and yellow to fat 3G or 2,4- dihydro-5-methyl-2phenyl-4-phenylazo-3H-pyrazol-3-one, (14) a mixture of compound D and black to fat HB or 2,3-dihydro- 2,2-dimethyl-6-[(4-phenylazo)-1-naphthalenyl]-azo-1H-perimidine, (15) a mixture of compound D powdered red to fat 7B, (16) a mixture of compound D and Scarlet R, (17) a mixture of compound D and red organol BS, (18) a mixture of compound D and red Sudan IV, (19) a mixture of compound D and vermillon organol, (20) a mixture of compound D and red to fat G, (21) a mixture of compound D and azo ruby, (22) a mixture of compound D and a mixture of 1/3 brown to fat B, 1/3 brown to fat RR and 1/3 Ruby RR to fat, (23) a mixture of compound D and brown to fat B, (24) a mixture of compound D and red to fat 5B, (25) a mixture of compound D and red to fat 7B, (26) a mixture of compound D and brown to fat RR, (27) a mixture of compound D and Red Sudan I, (28) a mixture of compound D and red Sudan II and (29) a mixture of compound D and 1-[{4-(phenylazo)- phenyl}-azo-]2-naphthalenol.

The results of the tests are expressed in the Figures submitted herewith wherein the percentage of degradation is plotted as a function of time. The tests were effected in comparison with a non-stabilized emulsifiable concentrate indicated as standard emulsifiable concentrate which was identical to the test compositions except for the presence of the azodyestuff.

Various modifications of the compositions and method of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof and it is to be understood that the invention is intended to be limited only as defined in the appended claims.